Do Not Let Your Past Define You
by firegirl215431
Summary: Izuku Midoriya learned that the world wasn't fair when he was four, and diagnosed as quirkless. He learned that the worst things happen to good people, months later, when he was kidnapped by the biggest villain in the world. He learned what karma was when he was nine, and All Might saved him from five years of torture. However, he did not escape without scars.
1. Prologue

**Quirkless: Noun- A person who does not posses a quirk of any kind. Adjective- A word used to describe a person with no quirk, or an activity without the use of quirks.**

***  
_"So, you wish to create a sentient beast?"_

"_Yes."_

_"You need a test subject then. Perhaps someone with a sort of clean slate, I suppose."_

_"Quirkless, then."_

"_I believe that is what you'd need. However, I am not certain, and it may take a while to perfect. And then there is the heroes to worry about._

_"You have no need to worry. Only one hero even comes close to my level. But even All Might stands no chance..."_

Izuku wasn't proud of being quirkless. Being quirkless meant he was weak. Being weak meant everyone he knew turned on him. Even Kacchan, his best friend, hated him now.

Being quirkless meant he couldn't be a hero.

Being a hero was all he ever wanted. Helping people was something he loved to do, even at the mere age of four. But then, the doctors and his own mother crushed his lifelong dream with a few words.

Not that he blamed them, of course. Telling a child they were quirkless was surely no easy feat. Much less telling a child who loved quirks. His mother on the other hand, he almost wanted to blame. Her words destroyed Izuku more then the doctors'. She knew it, too. But Izuku knew she was trying to further help him. Even if it just made him feel worse.

Sometimes, Izuku wondered what it would be like to have a quirk. Maybe he'd cause the earth to rumble beneath his feet, or control fire, lift things to him, or create ice. Sometimes Izuku wondered how it felt to have the ability to do those things.

_He would know soon._

It hurt to realize he'd never know.

**Quirkless Child Goes Missing-Third One This Month**

**Quirkless child XXXX XXXXXX, went missing last Tuesday, and has yet to be found.**

**She was last seen at XXXXXXXX location, wearing a clover dress. XXXX is seven years old, and went to XXXXXXXXXX elementary school. If seen, please report to the police as soon as possible.**

**Sadly, XXXX is not the first quirkless child to go missing this month. Two other quirkless children, ages nine and five, have been missing for two weeks now. Police suspect it to be kidnaping, and believe the cases to be connected. **

**Pictures of XXXX on page 5. **

"Quirkless loser!"

"Crybaby!"

"_Deku_!"

"Izuku grunted as Kacchan caused an explosion near his face. He rolled backwards, his cheek stinging. Tears formed in his emerald eyes, ready to fall at a moments notice.

"You wanna be a hero right?" Kacchan asked, his childish face contorting into a sinister smirk. "Well guess what! You can't if you're a quirkless idiot like you!"

Izuku trembled in both parts fear, sorrow and anger. He knew Kacchan was right. But he wanted to ignore it, to become the first quirkless hero, and save people with a smile, just like All Might. But...could he do that if he couldn't even protect himself from his own friends?

_Are they even my friends?_

"Look at him, he's crying! What a loser!" One of Kacchan's friends, Tsubasa, jeered.

"Stop even trying! You'll never be able to do anything!"

"Izuku sometimes wished that someone would take him away from Kacchan, and the bullies, and the doctors, even his mom. He wished he'd be able to get away from his daily life of being made fun of and mocked. Other times, he felt guilty for even thinking about it. That didn't change the fact that he thought about it, though.

"L-leave me alone!" Izuku cried, wiping away his tears and glaring pathetically at his tormentors.

"Shut up, Deku!" Kacchan yelled, slapping Izuku's face, and sending him sprawling as an explosion burst from his palms.

"Ha! Weak!" Someone laughed.

"Shakily, Izuku pulled himself to his feet, vision blurred with tears. A dry sob escaped his mouth, and he bit his tongue to prevent any more. He couldn't let them see how upset they were making him. It would only give them more fuel.

"He keeps getting up! Come on, Katsuki, it's getting boring!" Tsubasa complained, flapping his batlike wings.

Kacchan ignored the winged boy, his gaze fixed on Izuku, who was still trembling. He silently played that they would go away, and leave him alone.

Kacchan strode forward, pushing Izuku to the ground angrily. "Yeah, let's go. Stupid Deku's just gonna keep crying." With that, he walked away, his cronies following him like dogs.

Izuku breathed a small sigh of relief. He raised his hand to his now slightly numb cheek, poking at it gingerly, wincing when a bolt of pain shot through his face. Kacchan probably didn't mean to, he reassured himself. Sometimes he couldn't control his quirk. They were still friends, right? Hitting your friend was completely normal, right?

A voice from behind him interrupted his thoughts.

"You're quirkless, huh?" Instantly, Izuku got the feeling of intense fear. He could detect several emotions in the mans voice, the most prominent he would describe as bloodlust later in his life.

"Y-yes..." Izuku stammered nervously. Something was wrong. Really wrong. Then, the man stepped out of the shadow he was under, and Izuku could see what it was.

The man was tall, Izuku coming up to his knee (but he was short for a four-year-old anyway), with choppy blond hair that looked like someone had attacked it with a pair of scissors. He was big too, clearly muscled and strong, his bicep being bigger then Izuku's head.

But the worst was his eyes. They were small, beady even. But they were gleaming with something it would learn to be insanity, and t was terrifying.

"Good...better then good, actually. Master will be pleased..." he muttered.

With each word, Izuku backed up anothe foot.

"Hold it there, kid," the man said, grinning. "You're gonna come with me, all nicely and shit. You better not make me repeat myself."

Izuku was shaking again, but this time it was of fear, not sadness. Whatever happened, he could not go with this man. He knew that much.

Unconsciously, he started to back up again, shaking his head. Big mistake.

The man growled, grabbing Izuku's arm and yanking him forward. Izuku yelped, and tried to pry his arm free. But the blond mans' iron grip tightened. It was starting to really hurt.

"L-let me go! What are you doing?" Izuku cried, desperately flailing in an attempt to get himself free.

"Shut up kid, you're coming with me." His voice was filled with anger and Izuku froze. This gave the man an opportunity to drag him away from the park.

"Let me go! Let me GO!" Izuku screamed, regaining the ability to speak. He tried even harder to get away.

"Deku!"

Izuku almost went limp with relief when Kacchan rounded the corner, palms blazing.

"Kacchan! Help me please!" Izuku sobbed.

"Let him go, you bastard!"

The man simply scowled and kicked Kacchan in the side, sending him flying.

"Kacchan!"

"Shut up, brat." The man slammed his hand into the back of Izuku's head.

The last thing Izuku saw was his blood dripping onto the ground.

The last thing he heard was screaming.

_Was it his own?_

Then everything went black.

**Yet Another Quirkless Child Goes Missing-When Will It Stop?**

**Izuku Midoriya, a four year old quirkless boy went missing almost a week ago. Reports state that the boy was taken by a tall blond man and was knocked unconscious after struggling. **

**This boy is the seventh victim of kidnapping quirkless children. The police have yet to make any progress on the case. When will this stop?**

'_So you believe you've found the right one.'_

_'Yes. He's accepted all the quirks with no consequences so far.'_

_'You'll have to break him. Then train and educate him. It may take a while.'_

_'Yes, I will focus on perfecting this boy for now. I don't want the quirks to go to waste.'_

_'What was the boys' name again?'_

_'Izuku Midoriya.' _


	2. Chapter 1

Torture: Noun-1) the act of inflicting excruciating pain for punishment or revenge, as means to obtain information or a confession, or for sheer cruelty.

"Get up!"

Izuku groaned as Muscular kicked him in the ribs. He was on the floor, ribs, arm and legs throbbing from the 'training' the day before.

"Get up!" Muscular repeated, spit flying from his mouth.

Quickly, Izuku scrambled to stand. You didn't disobey Muscular, Izuku learned that lesson a few days after he arrived. Muscular was one of the most bloodthirsty minions that Sensei had. He wouldn't hesitate to torture Izuku in any way he could.

Izuku stood, only to be hit in the face by Muscular's fist, sending him flying backwards from the force.

"When I say get up, you do it the second I say it!" Izuku flinched at the loud voice, echoing through the small room.

"S-sorry...I-I wont..."

"What was that?!" Muscular roared, stomping closer to Izuku. "Say it louder!"

"I w-won't do it again!" Izuku cried, hunching over, and protecting his head with his hands.

"You better not," Muscular sneered. "Or you'll be training against Master himself tomorrow!"

Izuku's eyes widened, and he stood quickly, staring at Muscluar. He couldn't train against Sensei. No one beat him, no one even came close. He'd seen people try, and then seen them come out in pieces.

"Now... Master wants you to train against one of his new Nomus' today. This time, if you beat it, you'll get more food tomorrow."

A twinge of both fear and eagerness went through Izuku. Fighting Sensei's once-human creatures was terrifying. They were quick, strong, and usually could heal quickly. On the other hand, the near unbearable pain in his stomach was getting worse. He needed food, and beating this Nomu would give him it.

"Okay." Izuku whispered.

Muscular nodded with a smirk and grabbed Izuku's arm, dragging him out the door and down a hallway. Izuku didn't dare make a sound as he was pulled across the rough ground.

"Here we are." Muscluar threw him inside a larger room, equally dark as the last one, and closed the door, leaving Izuku on the floor in a heap. Slowly, Izuku got to his feet, looking around.

It was the usual room that he was forced to beat the Nomu's in. Big, but very few lights, a glass pane with people behind it, surveying both him and the Nomu. There were no windows, and no decoration. Simply a bare, empty room.

Only it wasn't empty.

Across from Izuku, a large _thing_ sat on the floor, breathing heavily and sometimes snorting. Izuku backed up against the door, as far as he could go. He didn't like the look of this one. Not at all.

"Izuku? Can you hear me?"

Izuku's head snapped up, looking towards the glass, where several people stood. One of them held a microphone.

He nodded.

That was the rule there. No speaking unless directly told to. Muscular, he could say a bit more, but when he was forced to fight the giant, he was told that he had to "be louder". Muscular liked to hear how much pain he was inflicting onto Izuku, taking pleasure in the torture he put him through.

"Today, we'd like you to attempt to fight the newest Nomu. If you do your best, I'm sure you'll be able to leave soon. You'll be of immense help to us as well. Are you ok with that?"

Izuku almost snorted. They asked that every time. Was it like he had any choice?

He nodded.

"You may only one quirk, and fight with anything you can think of within the room. Understood?"

Izuku nodded

"Fantastic," Someone new was speaking now; Izuku wasn't sure who. "Let's begin then, shall we?"

There was a lock opening, and the Nomu sitting on the floor was released. Izuku took a deep breath to steel himself.

The Nomu let out an inhuman screech, rising to full hight. It was giant. Towering over Izuku, the Nomu was pure black skinned, it's brain exposed. It's huge muscles strained as it took a step towards Izuku. He waited with bated breath as the Nomu spotted him.

It lunged at him, claws outstretched.

Swiftly, Izuku dodged, rolling to the side. He grunted when his injured ribs hit the ground. He spun and faced the creature as he crouched into a fighting position. Once again, the Nomu leapt for Izuku, and swiped at his head. It screeched when it realized it had missed. Izuku ducked, sliding behind the Nomu and activated one of his quirks. He rose into the air, kicking the Nomu in the back of the head, right where the brain was.

The Nomu was knocked forward, and Izuku landed neatly behind it. Turning around, the Nomu instantly darted forward, actually catching Izuku's rib cage with a claw this time.

Izuku bit his lip to keep from crying out and activated the quirk again, trapping the Nomu's arm in place. He reached up with both hands and brought them down like he was breaking a tree branch over his knee.

The Nomu's arm snapped in half, exposing bone and muscle. It reeled backwards, Izuku having released his hold on it, wailing loudly.

The door opened, and Muscular stopped in, scowling.

"Oi, kid-" he started to say, but was interrupted by the Nomu bringing its fist down on Izuku's skull.

***  
_Izuku was in an older house, standing in the living room. It was familiar, but Izuku couldn't place where he'd seen it before. _

_A quiet noise behind him caused him to turn and walk down the narrow hallway towards it. It sounded like somebody was crying._

_Izuku stopped at the last door. The noise was coming from inside it. Hesitantly, Izuku opened the door, entering the room._

_It was a smaller room, clearly a child's, with posters and pictures of a hero Izuku could hardly remember the name of._

_All Might._

_There was a woman with long, dark green hair pinned back in a bun sitting on the bed. She had her face buried in her hands, sobs escaping her mouth. She was shaking. _

_'Izuku...'_

_'Please come home...'_

_'Where are you, Izuku? Where did you go?'_

_Izuku sat down next to her slowly, tapping her shoulder lightly._

_'Are you okay?' _

_The woman turned, allowing Izuku to see her face. Tear tracks were visible on her face, showing that she'd been crying a long time. Her bright green eyes glittered with tears, but she still looked up, making eye contact with Izuku._

_Her mouth moved, her eyes shocked, but Izuku couldn't hear anything other then static._

_'Izuku!'_

_'Where were you?'_

_Izuku wanted to ask what was wrong, but another voice echoed through the house. _

_'You fucking shit, wake up!_

_'Wake up!'_

**_'Wake Up!'_**

Izuku was jolted awake by a bucket of water being thrown on him. He sat up quickly, gasping.

"Up!" Muscular ordered. "Sensei wants to see you!"

Icy dread seeped into Izuku's body. He shivered, but got up as fast as his ribs allowed.

The second he was up, Muscular shoved him forward, pushing him through a darker hallway. They stopped for a few seconds, and Muscular opened a door, kicking Izuku through.

"Izuku..." A voice said in the darkness. Izuku whimpered softly at the slight anger in Sensei's voice.

Sensei was the one in charge, the one who'd been behind Izuku's kidnapping. He controlled everyone who Izuku had met in the time he'd been here. He didn't even properly remember what his life had been like before he was here. He didn't even know where 'here' was.

"Today, we asked you to beat the newest Nomu, correct?" Sensei asked pleasantly, concealing the anger that had been there seconds before.

Izuku flinched, nodding.

"The Nomu was one of our weakest. We wanted to test your focus. But, you failed."

Izuku realized that tears were falling down his face silently.

"For that we must punish you."

Izuku felt the fire before he saw it. 

One of Sensei's minions, one he'd never seen before, stood behind Izuku, fire cupped in his palm. A fire quirk, then. He pressed his hand to Izuku's back, burning through the ragged shirt he wore.

Izuku screamed as the fire burnt off the first few layers of skin, but bit his tongue when he realized Sensei was standing in front of him now.

The hand on his back left, taking the fire with it. Izuku winced as he smelt the burnt flesh.

Sensei nodded at the man, and Izuku realized, too late, that he was kicking at his ribs. The man's boot connected, sending Izuku sprawling. He tried his best, but a small whimper escaped him.

"What have we said, Izuku?" Sensei leaned down, grabbing Izuku's face and forcing him to look at him. "No sound."

He flinched, looking down at the ground. Whenever Sensei or anyone else hurt him, he couldn't make any noise. It annoyed most of them, and if they got annoyed, it would hurt more. Izuku couldn't always follow the rule though, and the punishments were frequent.

"Y-yes, s-sir..." Izuku whispered.

Sensei leaned back, seemingly satisfied. "Good, good. Let's continue with the punishment, shall we?"

Izuku gasped harshly as Sensei slammed his head into the floor below. Pain exploded into his forehead, and blood trickled down into his vision. Hesitantly, he reached up, touching the long cut on his forehead. Any lower and it'd have hit his eye.

"Stand."

Izuku looked up at Sensei fearfully. He scrambled to his feet quickly, looking at his bare, dirty feet. He couldn't disobey Sensei like he did with Muscular. Sensei wouldn't forgive him.

"Izuku...come with me," Sensei gestured for Izuku to follow him. He walked away, towards the small shed in the corner. Izuku froze

Any time he failed a task, Sensei put him in the shed. It was tiny, suffocating in a way that felt like something was slowly tightening its hold on both his neck and chest. The air smelled musty and slightly damp, some of the wood rotting away. Izuku was left inside it for hours, sometimes days, starving and suffocating. It was a wonder that Izuku hadn't lost his mind while in it.

Izuku hated the shed. It always felt like he was going to be left there, cast aside when he couldn't be good enough. Everyone reminded him on a daily basis; he was easily replaceable. He had to succeed or he would die. He didn't want to go back in.

But Sensei was standing by the door now, waiting, and Izuku stepped forward to go inside the shed, resigning to his fate.

He hardly made it three steps before there was a rumbling, and the wall exploded. He was thrown backwards, hitting the wall roughly and falling to the ground.

Dazed, Izuku sat up and groaned. His head aches, the blood loss finally getting to him. His vision was going hazy, the ends fading to black.

The last thing he heard before passing out was someone span style _All Might_ yelling,

**_"PLUS ULTRA!"_**


	3. Chapter 2

**Return: Verb- 1)To go back or come to a place or person. 2) to give, put back, or send (something) back to a place or a person.**

**XXX**

**-Kidnapped Boy Returns After Five Years-**

**Five years ago, a Quirkless boy named Izuku Midoriya went missing, along with several other Quirkless children. While no other child has been found, Midoriya was saved yesterday, by the Number One Hero, All Might. **

**All Might states that the boy was inside a warehouse he entered during patrol.**

**"I was on my daily patrol, and heard screaming, so I investigated." Was the statement All Might gave when asked.**

**It is being speculated whether or not All Might was really on patrol that morning. What was he doing in that part of the city?**

**The boy, Izuku was found in critical condition, with several broken bones in his ribs, arm, and legs, a large quantity of cuts and small burns, a concussion, and a large cut above his right eye. He was extremely malnourished, and unconscious when found.**

**He has received medical treatment, but is still unconscious. The doctors said that there were signs of previously broken bones, several scars, and other serious conditions. **

**"It's terrifying, honestly. To see a small, nine-year-old boy in such a horrific condition. He was close to dead when he was brought in."**

**"There are signs of poorly set fractures and clean breaks all over his body. It's a miracle that he hasn't been paralyzed."**

**These statements were made by the two doctors, XXXXXXX XXXXX, and XXXX XXXXX, who were overseeing the surgeries and recovery of the boy.**

**XXX**

Inko couldn't believe it. When they told her that her boy was alive, and in the hospital, she had denied it. There was no way.

Her precious little adorable, four-year-old boy, who'd been taken from her. Only he wasn't anymore. Little, four, or taken.

He was still small, of course. She's been to see him, and she's been shocked at how small he'd been. The doctors said it was malnutrition, and Inko had been horrified.

He wasn't four anymore either. He was nine. Five years since he'd been taken. Inko preferred the word taken to kidnapped.

Kidnapped felt like he'd never come back.

She always believed he'd come home one day. At first, she'd thought he was lost, or home late. Then, Katsuki had found her, and told her what happened.

She'd always held a firm belief that her boy, her Izuku, wasn't dead. No one else believed her, except Katsuki, and Mitsuki. Everyone, even the detectives, thought he was dead and gone, declaring the case a cold one.

A "dead end," as they said.

Hilarious.

Some people congratulated her. They seemed to think that she'd been done a favor by God, being ridden of a "Quirkless waste" like her son. She didn't hesitate to screw their day up with and without her quirk.

When she'd been able to go to the hospital and finally see her son, she'd been horrified. He was covered in scars, cuts, and burns. She could see his ribs. There was a nasty, horrible, cut above his right eye. The doctors said he had several broken bones, and old breaks that were not set correctly.

Inko had broken down, her built up emotions becoming too much. To be honest, she had been surprised she hadn't done it earlier. She'd collapsed on the hospital floor, sobbing her eyes out. Her son was back. He'd live. But it was clear that he'd gone through something horrible there. Wherever "there" had been. All Might hadn't disclosed the location, nor the name of the villain who'd taken her son. Thinking back, All Might hadn't been seen for at least a week after saving Izuku.

But, while she was sitting on the cold, hard, ground of the hospital, she hadn't even thought of that. All she could think of was that her son was home.

And Inko had never felt such a combination of pure relief, and horror before. She was happy Izuku was alive; that much was obvious. She loved him more than anything in the world. But, she was also scared, and worried. He'd been close to dead when they found him, and he was covered in scars. Inko wondered what kind of mental impact it would have on him.

But, in the meantime, Izuku was alive. He was going to come home. Finally.

Inko would focus on that.

XXX

_Izuku didn't like being asleep. _

_Sleeping meant nightmares. Sleeping meant that anyone could sneak up on him and hurt him. Both of the options had already happened countless times. _

_Izuku remembered that once, he could sleep without being scared of who would wake him. He could sleep peacefully, knowing he was safe. _

_He'd never be safe again._

_After Sensei took him, the feeling of 'safe' disappeared, along with his memories of it. All he remembered now was a flash of green, small popping noises, and the word 'Deku', chanted over and over. He heard it in his nightmares far too often. It was important, but Izuku couldn't remember._

_He only remembered in his dreams. But his dreams were full of blood, monsters and a voice calling his name from a distance, echoing through the terror._

_Izuku really didn't like sleeping. But with Sensei, he was forced to, after he'd gone a week without sleeping and his performance was less the satisfactory._

_One of the scariest things about sleeping, for Izuku, was waking up. Usually, Muscular, or someone else would wake him up, whether it may be with cold water, kicks, or punches or something else. Once they'd burned him until he woke up._

_He didn't ever sleep with fire near him ever again._

_Waking up to see Sensei, or Muscular, or anyone else, looming over him, waiting to begin his daily torture was terrifying. _

_But, Izuku thought, there are a lot of other terrifying things he's had to do._

_Izuku opened his eyes. _


	4. Chapter 3

**Hero: Noun-a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble "a war hero"**

**XXX**

"Deku! Hurry up or I'll leave without you!"

Bakugo's call echoed through Izuku's house as he scrambled to get his backpack that next to his bedroom door.

Picking up the bag, Izuku ran to the door, where Bakugo stood, glaring at him. He looked away and got his shoes on quickly before leaving, locking the door behind him.

"S-sorry Kacchan, I overslept." Izuku apologized as they walked.

"Nightmares again?"

He nodded silently. The nightmares that plagued him daily (nightly?) had been worse than usual.

Bakugo glanced at Izuku quickly, before looking back down. "Anything new?"

Izuku shrugged. There hadn't really been anything special about them. It had been the usual, Sensei taunting him from the shadows, being slammed into the ground repeatedly, and the training he'd endured. Thankfully Muscular hadn't entered his dreams, but it had still just seemed all the more real for some reason, and caused him to stay awake for several hours afterwards. When he'd finally gotten back to sleep, it had been uneasy and fitful.

"I don't really want to talk about it, sorry." Izuku said quietly, Bakugo muttering an 'okay' as they continued walking.

Izuku sighed softly, trying to block the images of his nightmares out of his head. He didn't want to think about it, he never did. He didn't like to think about the fact that he flinched at any movement, or that his entire body was covered in scars either.

_Stop it. _He reprimanded himself harshly. He tried to ignore everything that had happened with Sensei as much as possible.

_You know you cannot ignore it forever._ A voice in the back of his head whispered. He did know, he just didn't want to acknowledge it. Ignoring it would do, though he could never _really_ ignore it.

"Oi, we're almost there."

Izuku jumped slightly at the barked statement, his thoughts broken. He sighed and looked up, staring at the school before them. He really didn't want to have to deal with his classmates theorizing whether or not he had a quirk, or what he went through when he was kidnapped.

"Hello?" Bakugo demanded, poking Izuku's shoulder. Izuku flinched, but looked up at the blond.

"Y-Yeah, Kacchan?"

Bakugo rolled his eyes. "We gotta go to our class? Not stand here in the middle of the hallway, you idiot."

Izuku quickly took in his surroundings, and realized they were in the school now, standing still as everyone around them grumbled in annoyance.

"Oh...sorry," He muttered, starting to walk again. "Um, do you know what we're doing in class today?"

"I heard some of the teachers talkin' and apparently later on we're doing some career choice shit." Was the harsh reply.

Izuku sighed to himself softly. Anything to do with careers, he didn't want to deal with at the moment. He wanted to be a hero more than anything, sure. He absolutely hated the quirks that were 'given' to him and never wanted to use them? Sure. But could he be a hero without using those quirks?

_Could I be a hero without any quirk?_

XXX

_Izuku entered the house, his house, he reminded himself for the first time in five years._

_"M-mom?" He whispered. The word felt strange, like he was speaking it in another language he only knew part of. He knew what it meant, just not how to use it._

_**Not anymore.**_

_The green haired woman he'd only ever seen in his dreams before now stood beside him. She smiled gently, a smile full of sadness and pity. _

_"Yes, Izuku?" She asked, her voice masking her sorrow. Izuku flinched at the usage of his name, bringing his arms up to cover his face to protect himself from a blow that never came._

_It wasn't right. When he spoke, he was forced to train until he passed out. When someone used his name, they would kick him to the ground until he couldn't move, and the blood splashed when stepped in. They had no mercy, unless they were manipulating him._

_Maybe that was it. Maybe they were lulling him into a false sense of security, Sensei could certainly create a hallucination or illusion as real as this. They were testing his loyalty. _

_"Izuku, I'm not going to hurt you," the woman's voice wobbled dangerously with an emotion Izuku could not identify. "Please, come in, there is someone who would like to see you."_

_Who? Izuku wondered. He only knew of his mother, only his mother had come to visit him in the hospital. He no longer remembered anything that happened before he was taken, so he could have known someone else, but he wouldn't know who. _

_"Katsuki, you can come out," A tall boy who looked to be about Izuku's age walked out from behind the kitchen door. He had blond spiky hair, and red eyes that burned with an intensity that was masked his nervousness. _

_Something told him that this boy would not ever show his anxiousness around others. _

**_He knew from experience._**

_Hesitantly, Izuku stepped forward, and immediately regretted it, backtracking hastily. He hugged himself as he squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for a slap, or kick, or punch that was surely on it's way._

_"I'm not going to hurt you, Deku." Izuku flinched at the voice. It sounded like Sensei, when he would say those words over and over, before torturing him mercilessly, and giving him to the others, **to Muscular** when he was done with him. It always went like that, a never-ending circle of pain that he could not escape. The only relief he got was when he was unconscious, but even then he was plagued with nightmares and memories of Sensei hurting him._

"_Deku?" That word was new._

_**It wasn't.**_

_He liked it, it gave him a feeling of comfort and something he couldn't quite grasp, but would come to call nostalgia._

_**Nostalgia for the time when he was home. **_

_Izuku opened his eyes, and saw his mother and the blond boy both staring at him, concern mirrored in their eyes. His eyes suddenly started to water._

_**Back **_**there **_**nobody cared enough to be concerned. **_

_"W-Wh-who...a-are you?" his voice was dull and raspy, unused to being used. It sounded harsh, like a stone scraping against a knife, cold and loud in the deafening silence._

_**Stupid boy, never speak unless spoken to!**_

_The blond stepped closer, slowly extending his hand, worry evident in his eyes. "I'm Bakugo Katsuki. You can call me Kacchan."_

XXX

Izuku sat at the back of the class. He honestly preferred it that way. It meant that he wasn't stared at all the time. The people at his school hadn't exactly forgotten that he'd been kidnapped five years ago. They hadn't exactly been kind about it either.

"Settle down, class!" The teacher shouted, quelling the soft murmuring of the students as they filed into the classroom. He waited until the entire class was seated before continuing. "Today, I'll be handing out these career forms...or I would be if I didn't already know that you all want to be heroes!"

The class erupted into cheering and yelling seconds after the teacher had finished speaking. Izuku cringed at the sudden noise. His classmates were out of their seats, screaming unintelligible nonsense as their teacher attempted to calm them.

Someone started laughing, and when Izuku turned to see, he saw that it was Bakugo. He was smirking as he propped his feet up on his desk.

"Don't shove me in with these punks! Their shitty quirks have nothing against mine!"

Once again, the class exploded into shouts, only this time it was directed at Bakugo, and was mainly composed of jeering, and booing.

"Get over yourself, Katsuki!" someone yelled.

"Hmm...Bakugo, you're aiming for UA, am I correct?" Their teacher asked, looking down at some notes he held. Izuku glanced at Bakugo quickly, seeing that his smirk was much more prominent now that he had someone to show off to.

"Wait, what?" Someone cried. "The national school?"

"Their cutoff is seventy-nine this year!"

"It's so hard to get in!"

"Shut up," Bakugo drawled, his voice practically dripping with smugness. "I aced the mock exam, none of you losers stand a chance."

"Hey, aren't you going for UA too, Midoriya?"

Izuku _froze_.

The entire class swiveled in their seats to look at him, most of their jaws touching the floor. Bakugo was grinning, not his usual grin, but a ecstatic, and, dare Izuku say it, proud. Izuku hunched his shoulders and looked down at his desk, in an attempt to shy away from the attention.

"Ha! As if!" Someone called. "He doesn't even have a quirk!"

Izuku flinched at the reminder that his classmates thought him quirkless. It wasn't true of course, the quirks just weren't his, nor did he use them. He hated the quirks he had, and had vowed long ago to never use them.

Izuku was broken from his thoughts by Bakugo, who jumped up, glaring at the kid who'd spoken. "Shut the hell up! Deku's the only one here besides me that even has a _chance_ of getting into UA!" He yelled. Izuku smiled slightly at the display. It was good to know that Bakugo still cared. If he'd been Bakugo, he would've completely abandoned him after a week.

"All right, calm down everyone!" The teacher cried, silencing the people who'd begun to mutter about Bakugo's statement. "Class is almost over anyways, please pack up your things."

Izuku stood quietly, grabbing his backpack and leaning on his desk. He was glad Bakugo had taken up most of the spotlight, and drawn the attention away from him. He already felt the other students stares in class enough, but now that his teacher had spilled the beans about him wanting to go to UA, he was sure he'd feel them even more.

Izuku felt someone tap his shoulder, and jumped, flinching away from whoever had touched him. He whirled around, just as Bakugo grabbed his wrists, preventing him from lashing out.

"Calm down, it's just me."

Izuku relaxed slightly, some of the panic he'd felt leaving his body. The tension in his shoulders eased, and he let his arms swing back to his sides as Bakugo let go of him.

"S-sorry Kacchan." He muttered, looking down shamefully. He'd almost attacked his best friend! His _only_ friend, for that matter. He internally smacked himself for trying to do anything to Bakugo, and gripped his left wrist tightly, attempting to ground himself.

"Hey," Bakugo poked his forehead roughly, brow creased in annoyance. "stop beating yourself up. I'm fucking fine."

Izuku ducked his head, shifting his weight between his legs. "Sorry."

Bakugo rolled his eyes, sighing to himself. "I told you to stop that. You don't need to fucking apologize for everything."

Izuku simply nodded, lost in thought again. He kept circling back to what his classmate had said. _He doesn't even have a quirk. _He didn't want to think about it, but it kept invading his thoughts. He knew he wasn't quirkless, not anymore. But what he said was true. Izuku couldn't get into UA without using a quirk. He couldn't be a quirkless hero, he'd be ridiculed, and even if he was halfway decent, he'd be crushed by villains with mutant quirks. Hell, he could be easily taken out by anyone with an emitter quirk, and almost just as easily with a mental quirk. A quirkless hero just wasn't fathomable to a superhuman society. That was the way it was.

Izuku still wanted to try.

XXX

"You never told me you still wanted to go to UA."

Izuku winced at the lack of emotion in Bakugo's statement. It was almost scarier than when he was angry, which was a lot. An emotionless Bakugo was something Izuku wasn't used to, nor was he prepared to face. Not today.

"W-well, um, it never really-it never really came up?" The upward lilt of his voice at the end made it sound like a question.

"Bullshit." This time, it wasn't emotionless. It was filled with anger, uncertainty, and another emotion that sounded suspiciously like betrayal. "You could've mentioned it at any time. It's not like the whole subject of hero's is taboo or something." He sucked in a deep breath, glancing way from Izuku. "Look, I'm not super mad about it, I just would have liked to know."

Izuku wondered exactly how he'd managed to still make it sound angry. He knew that Bakugo was probably at least a little bit upset about not knowing before now, but he hadn't been sure. He still wasn't.

"I just...I just wasn't sure, I-I guess. Society doesn't w-want a _quirkless_ hero."

"But you aren't."

"What?" Izuku looked up at Bakugo warily.

"You aren't quirkless. If you wanted, I'm sure you could probably blow up the entire block or some shit. So why not try using your quirks?"

Izuku clenched his fist, fingernails digging into his skin. "They-they aren't _mine_, Kacchan. I can't use them." It was simple; so why didn't Bakugo understand?

"Deku-" Izuku suddenly whipped around and covered Bakugo's mouth. He'd sensed movement, and he had a very bad feeling. Dread mixed with anticipation.

Suddenly the manhole in front of them burst open, and Izuku _moved_, shoving Bakugo away from him, before the green, slimey _thing_ slammed into him, knocking all hope of breathing out of him. Through blurred vision, Izuku saw Bakugo standing not far away, a shocked expression on his face. He desperately motioned for him to go before the green thing _swallowed_ him. He'd been completely engulfed by the sludgy stuff that he assumed was this things body, gasping for breath. This thing was going to suffocate him.

For a second, Izuku was tempted to let it. All he did was live in fear, constantly looking over his shoulder, terrified that he'd be hurt or that _he'd _hurt someone. He couldn't remember a time when he wasn't afraid, when he felt truly safe, or happy. The hole in his heart that held the place of happiness, love and trust had been filled with fear, and nothing else. He had no reason to live, to cling to the life that he was so miserable in. Why couldn't he just give up then and there, and let the monster kill him? He'd even get to go while saving the only friend he'd ever had.

**No**. He couldn't do that to his mother, who worked three jobs to provide to them, who'd already lost him once. He couldn't do it to Bakugo, his best friend, who clearly cared for him despite his breakdowns, and panic attacks, and flashbacks. He had people who cared, and he couldn't torture them by being taken again, this time not by a villain, but death. So he kept fighting. He struggled in a way that reminded him of when Muscular would drag him to a training room to fight against the inhuman creatures Sensei created. He remembered when he'd fail, he'd been trapped in a tiny room with little to no air, and forced to stay there until he'd passed out. Involuntarily, Izuku gasped for air, but only inhaling more of the slime. Then, the panic truly set in, and he started thrashing violently, trying to _escape_, to _breathe_, anything. He could feel the slime coating his entire body, gripping him tightly as it slowly suffocated him.

Then, there was a parting in the slime, by his hand, and he wrenched it free. He grasped at the slime around his mouth and eyes, tearing it roughly. The second his mouth was free, he coughed, taking in deep gulps of air. Then, his eyes were uncovered, and he opened them wide to see Bakugo attempting to help with explosions dancing around him, _**much bigger than when he was taken by Sensei.**_

"_Run_!" He screamed, before his mouth was blocked by more of the sludge.

"Deku!" Bakugo shouted, but then, an immense force **slammed** into Izuku, sending ripples of darkness through his vision. Groaning, Izuku realized he was on the concrete, with Bakugo leaning over him and yelling something. As more black overtook his vision, Izuku hazily looked up, and saw a blurred tall man with blond hair standing at the end of the tunnel.

Then everything went dark, just like so many times before.


End file.
